Out of this World
by TheSaltyAlmond
Summary: This fanfiction is about what will happen to Gardner if he was caught before escaping by plane with Tulsa. This is my first published fanfiction and I hope you all enjoy it.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from The Space Between Us and I did not make any of these characters. The only thing that has changed is the storyline. This is just a fanfiction and nothing more and is just me being creative and altering the storyline. With that being said I hope you enjoy this fanfiction and go watch the movie if you haven't already because it is amazing :)**

Tulsa rolled down the gravel driveway on her motorcycle and parked it in front of a shed.

"Alright. You stay here," she said to Gardner as she went into the house to get money. They were on a road trip to find Gardner's father. Tulsa met Gardner over the internet and he has quickly become her best friend.

Gardner stayed outside as instructed and scratched her dog's ear as he waited.

"Gardner!" a man's voice called out. Gardner stood up straight and turned towards the direction it came from.

"Gardner you need to come with me now!" a man with grey hair to his shoulders and glasses yelled at him from behind a chain-linked fence. Gardner stepped back and simply replied "No."

"We're here to help you. You're putting yourself in great danger!"

"Why can't you just leave me alone!" Gardner was irritated. If he went with the man he will have to return to Mars.

"This is my life!" Gardner took a few more steps back. A woman ran to the man's side.

"Gardner, Gardner please, just come with us-"

"I'm going to find my father! He's all I have!" Gardner snapped

"That's not true, you have me!" The woman replied in a hurt voice.

"No I don't! Kendra, you told me yourself: you don't want children."

"Gardner, that's not what I meant, you know that."

"You never wanted children and I'm sorry you ever had to raise me at all!" Gardner walked away hastily in his unnatural walk that made any normal human look like they were limping. He broke into a run and scrambled over a wooden fence. Kendra was behind in pursuit of Gardner. Gardner ran through a field of tall grass and tripped over a root. He saw Kendra jump over the fence. He hastily freed his foot and untangled his shoelace from the root. He took off running towards the dirt stretch as Kendra chased him. A black van gains ground behind the two and Gardner looks behind to look for Tulsa. Suddenly, something grabs him above his waist and around his stomach. Kendra tries to hold him back as Gardner struggles to free himself. The van pulls up next to Kendra and the man jumps out of the van. He helps Kendra pull reluctant Gardner into the van.

"Hey!" someone yelled at the man aggressively, "What are you doing with my friend and who in the world are you?!" It was Tulsa.

"I'm Nathaniel Shepherd, founder of East Texas, and we're taking Gardner back to NASA for medical treatment. He is a human-born Martian. As his friend, he would have told you that, right?" Tulsa ignored the question and countered with her own.

"Well you're not a legal guardian of his! He gave me a photo of his parents! Here!" she shoved a photo into Nathaniel's hand. Nathaniel studied the photo carefully.

"Yes, this is his mother, Sarah Elliot, but this isn't his father." Nathaniel looked up at Tulsa, "This is his uncle. I am his father." Tulsa recoiled at Nathaniel's words. _It couldn't be possible! Could it? _Tulsa didn't have time to ask any more questions. Nathaniel was helping Kendra strap Gardner to a stretcher. Once he was done he closed the van's door and they drove away.


	2. Chapter 2

The van rushed to the airport to catch their plane. Ten minutes before boarding, they gave Gardner Amnesia so he wouldn't fight the paramedics when they were loading him on the plane. They put Gardner on a built in stretcher next to the medical supplies. After Gardner was loaded, Nathaniel and Kendra boarded the plane. Kendra took a seat next to Gardner and Nathaniel sat across from her.

"We are about to take off. Before we do, please fasten your seat belts. Thank you." Kendra and Nathaniel followed the instructions given to them over the intercom and soon they were off.

Kendra and Nathaniel sat in silence for almost an hour. For the most part, Kendra was stroking Gardner's hair. He was like a son to her. She could never have children of her own and she took to raising Gardner once she arrived on Mars. Besides worrying about Gardner, something else was bothering her: what Nathaniel said to Tulsa. _Was Nathaniel blowing smoke to get Tulsa to back off or was it true? Could Nathaniel Shepherd be Gardner's father? _Kendra couldn't take it anymore; this torturing thought turned into a burning question.

"Nathaniel?" Kendra called to him, trying to get his attention.

"Yes, Kendra?"

"What you said to Tulsa, is that true or were you trying to get Tulsa to back off?" Nathaniel looked down at Gardner who was still unconscious and then back to Kendra.

"Yes, what I said was true," Nathaniel confessed. Thoughts rushed through Kendra's mind, but she collected herself and decided to talk about legal matters later once they landed.

It was the next day around 8 o'clock in the morning when Gardner woke up to see he was in a hospital bed in a hospital gown. He was back in the quarantine room from the looks of it and he sighed. He went to the window and peered out of it. _Same bubble, different planet. _Gardner turns his head to the sound of air compressing and sees Kendra walk through the door. She sat on the hospital bed and motioned for Gardner to come. He obeyed, realizing that he was already in deep trouble and didn't want to dig a deeper hole.

"Why did you run away, Gardner? You knew you were safe here," Kendra asked. On the outside, her voice sounded angry, but on the inside it was filled with motherly love.

"Same bubble different planet," Gardner said simply, "You were going to send me back to Mars anyways and I assume that the plan hasn't changed."

"Actually, I talked with NASA and they have decided to keep you here on Earth. Of course you are going to need to have a heart transplant which is scheduled for tomorrow at one o'clock," Kendra got up from the bed and headed for the door, "Consider yourself lucky, Gardner," she said before walking out of the quarantine. Gardner looked after Kendra and saw a security guard standing in the room between the quarantine and the hall leading to the outside world. He rolled his eyes, making sure the security guard didn't see him do it. _Great! First back in the quarantine and now a security guard!_ He thought bitterly. He went back to the window and stared out into the world he longed to be in.

Kendra walked into the hall and saw Nathaniel leaning against the wall.

"How is he?" Nathaniel asked.

"He's fine. A bit irritated that he's back in the quarantine and shocked that he's staying on Earth. He's happy about that decision, I know it, but he won't show it," Kendra reported. Nathaniel let out a chuckle, "A cool boy persona."

"Exactly. Nathaniel, I know you're not here just to talk about Gardner. You're here to talk about custody of him, so I have a proposal: We share custody of Gardner. I know you are his biological father, but I raised him and it would be fair if I had a say in his life."

"I was going to ask the same thing," Nathaniel confessed, "You are like a mother to him and I have no idea how to be a father-" Nathaniel was interrupted by his phone ringing.

"Yes? Hello. Of course, I'll be right there," Nathaniel hangs up on his phone.

"Sorry, I have business to attend to. Continue this conversation later?"

"Of course."

"Great!" Nathaniel hastily walks away, leaving Kendra by herself.


End file.
